I’ve got an empty Stocks and Shares ISA and I’m desperate to fill it. But I’m not making short-term decisions here. I only want to buy stocks that I reckon are worth holding for years and with luck, decades. This will give the share price and my reinvested dividends plenty of time to compound and grow. With that in mind, I’d buy these three FTSE 100 stocks today.
FTSE 100 turnaround play
After a torrid time, Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust (LSE: SMT) appears to have found its way again. I’m delighted it has, because I bought shares in the FTSE 100-listed stock last year. It’s up 29.1% over the past 12 months.
I’ll admit I was in two minds about buying it. Scottish Mortgage had lost half its value in 2022, when the tech stocks it mostly invested in crashed. James Anderson, the driving force in its golden years, had retired. I wasn’t sure new lead manager Tom Slater could fill his boots. It’s a risky fund, with a high percentage of its portfolio in unquoted companies.
But I took a chance and I’m glad I did. When interest rates are cut, it could perform even better. There’s no doubt plenty of volatility to come. But with a long-term view, I hope the overall trajectory is up.
I also bought consumer goods giant Unilever (LSE: ULVR) last year, and for the same reason. The share price has been smashed as management lost its way, while inflation drove up costs and made customers feel poorer. It was on the wrong side of the economic cycle.
Unilever is one of the UK’s biggest and best blue-chips. I decided it couldn’t stay down forever. People are still buying toiletries, deodorants and cleaning products, and Unilever boasts some of the biggest brands in the world. It’s slowly getting its focus back.
Equity fight back
Again, the Unilever share price recovery appears to be under way. It’s up 15.41% in six months, albeit just 8.51% over the year. When the cost-of-living crisis eases, I hope for more growth. Plus there are dividends, with a current yield of 3.37%. And now a share buyback.
My final recovery play is Burberry (LSE: BRBY). This is another stock that’s taken a beating, its shares crashing 52.79% over 12 months. I find that kind of drop irresistible, providing the underlying company is still solid, and I think Burberry is. So I bought it just a few weeks ago.
Burberry took a hit from slowing demand for luxury goods as the global economy struggled, while Chinese consumers have been feeling poor than they did.
Management is also struggling with strategy, torn between targeting the super-exclusive end of the luxury market, or leaving the door open for aspirational consumers. It’s decided to aim high, and had better not miss.
I think it’ll come good in the longer run, but this will take time. While I wait, I’ll buy more on the dips and reinvest its chunky 5.89% yield to build my stake.
